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The week in Switzerland
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Chants of “We are the robots!” could be heard in Bern on Wednesday evening. At a demo? During the winter parliamentary session? No, it was a concert by German electronic band Kraftwerk.
In addition to the main decisions taken by parliament, this briefing features the “outrageous costs” of Swiss skiing holidays and an Italian who was busted trying to smuggle loads of food into Switzerland, including 80kg of panettone.
Season’s greetings!
Have you booked a ski holiday in Switzerland this winter? Were you shocked by the price? A study of 14 Swiss resorts has found that a week’s holiday for a family of four is about 6% more expensive than last year – and journalists are not amused.
“The outrageous costs of a week’s family skiing holiday” fumed Blick on Tuesday. “Skiing is considered a national sport in Switzerland. But to make the most of the white gold, you need to put your hand in your pocket. Are skiing and snowboarding becoming luxury activities?”
An analysis by Banque Cler and BAK Economics found that the average cost of a week’s skiing in the third week of February had risen by 6%. Ski passes had gone up by around 10%.
However, there are major regional differences. For families, couples and students, it’s cheapest in Airolo, Andermatt-Sedrun and Engelberg-Titlis. By contrast, they have to spend the most on ski passes, ski school and ski hire in Zermatt, St Moritz and Flims-Laax-Falera.
For a couple, an eight-day ski pass in Zermatt costs around CHF1,200 ($1,500). Families pay CHF1,500 for ski passes in Zermatt and up to CHF1,524 in Flims-Laax-Falera. Prices below CHF1,000 are available in Airolo. Blick crunched the numbers and calculated that a week in Zermatt in mid-February would cost a family of four CHF11,787.
“As a rule, early bookings lead to lower prices,” said the authors of the study. This also applies to accommodation. In addition, network ski passes that are valid for an entire season in several ski resorts are increasingly being offered. “These pay off for anyone who spends more days on the slopes in addition to their holiday week.”
The United States is stepping up the pressure on Switzerland over tariffs. It reportedly wants a legally binding agreement to be concluded by March 31, 2026. Failing this, it intends to “re-examine and reconsider, if necessary” the rate imposed on Bern.
Swiss public broadcaster RTS reported on Thursday that the information, revealed by the newspapers of the CH Media group, was based on a document from the US Trade Representative. The information has not been confirmed by the economics ministry.
According to the text, the reduction in customs duties from 39% to 15% is being carried out “on the condition and with the expectation” that the declaration of intent of November 14 is rapidly transformed into a bilateral agreement.
On Tuesday the government received some good news when it received backing from parliament for the planned tariff negotiations with the US.
The winter parliamentary session ended on Friday. One of the main issues was a wide-ranging austerity package. Every million found its advocates and every franc its defenders.
Launched as the most ambitious austerity package in decades, the Relief Package 27 came under fire early on. Originally, a group of experts had proposed annual savings of CHF3.9 billion ($4.9 billion). Of this, CHF2.4 billion was still on the list that the government submitted to parliament, but there were still 57 cost-cutting measures, with each one hurting somebody. (One of the measures was the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation’s international mandate and thus Swissinfo. On Wednesday the Senate narrowly rejected this cut.)
Other decisions from the winter session include:
– A planned subsidy for a night train to Malmö in Sweden was rejected.
– Regulations on arms exports to friendly countries were relaxed.
– International adoptions are not to be banned, as proposed by the government, but new rules are to be introduced.
– International Geneva will receive financial support of CHF130 million. The money is intended to strengthen Geneva as a centre of multilateralism.
– Several parties demanded transparency from the government regarding the deal Switzerland has made with the US on tariffs. The possible import of chlorinated chicken and Elon Musk’s cybertrucks is of particular concern to the centre-left.
A panettone smuggler made Swiss headlines this week! An Italian man was stopped near the customs post at Brusata, canton Ticino, with more than 100kg of undeclared foodstuffs, including 66 panettones.
The 51-year-old had entered Switzerland in a van which was carrying 164 litres of oil, 66 panettones weighing 81kg, 5kg of fresh meat, 28kg of mozzarella and around ten loaves of focaccia bread. Contrary to some online comments, it was not one giant panettone weighing 80kg.
The man, who runs a food truck in Switzerland, was fined several hundred francs and will have to clear his goods through customs. The cantonal laboratory will also be investigating the conditions under which the goods were transported and stored.
The week ahead
The 87th Coupe de Noël – one of the largest Christmas swims in the world – is taking place in Lake Geneva on Saturday and Sunday. In Geneva some 4,500 people will brave the water, currently a refreshing 8-9°C.
Wednesday, Christmas Eve, is the start of the “2 x Christmas” campaign, in which the Swiss Post accepts parcels free of charge at its counters. People can also make cash donations, with the proceeds going directly to people in need. The campaign runs until January 18.
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